If you’re an Autoblog reader, we suspect you probably prefer not to leave the driving to others – regardless of who they are. But even car nuts like us have occasion to take the bus every so often. can be a cost-efficient way to go pick up a car you’ve spontaneously bought on eBay when no buddies can be rounded up for a road trip, for instance.
Of course, in this age of paranoia, you might wonder if your bus is held together with bailing wire and duct tape, or whether your driver habitually shows up for work three sheets to the wind, which brings us to .
A free iOS app, courtesy of the United States Department of Transportation, SaferBus allows mobile access to the US DOT’s database for motor coach safety violations, including five categories of records, according to . The app gets monthly database updates and the information dates back a full two years, plus you can use the app report a safety complaint yourself.
Formula 1 racing tends to work in cycles. One team is at the top for a year or two, then another emerges to dominate the next few. It’s a trend that has seen the likes of , McLaren, Renault (now known as ) and even Brawn (today’s ) win world championships, with Red Bull as the the most recent force to be reckoned with.
Red Bull, clearly the team to beat going into 2012, took the driver’s and constructor’s titles the last two years. The question is, could it defend them for the hat trick this season, or would a new frontrunner step up? The circus rolled in to Sepang, Malaysia this weekend for the second round of the 2012 Formula One World Championship. And it was a thriller. Follow the jump to read how it unfolded.
There’s an awful lot of information to consuder when it comes to Formula 1 racing. It’s arguably the most complicated and technologically advanced sport in the world, with an ever-changing rule book, aerospace-level engineering, and the most elite driver talent. It’s enough to make any fan’s head spin. Fortunately we’ve got a tidy infographic that lays it all out for you.
Submitted (interestingly enough) by online bingo site , this infographic breaks down everything, including the newest features on the 2012 cars, each team and the equipment they use, the full race calendar, the lap times from the pre-season test sessions, and a smattering of other interesting information. Check it out .
The New York Times reports the European Central Bank may have inadvertently helped buyers looking to take home a new Volkswagen Up! secure low-interest loans. Volkswagen Financial Services was one of many institutions that took advantage of the €1 trillion the central bank set aside to be loaned out at just one percent interest. borrowed €2 billion (about $2.6 billion USD) of that money, and plans to offer the cash to buyers in the form of loans with low three to four percent interest. While the goal of the low-interest loans was originally to stabilize uncertain markets, automakers and other industries are taking advantage of the effectively free cash.
Mercedes Bank has already taken advantage of the generous terms, and PSA Financing, a unit of Peugeot and Citroën, has made mention of doing the same in an attempt to stave off looming poor sales. According to The New York Times, the European auto industry may be facing down its second downturn since 2009. Registrations for new vehicles were down 8.3 percent between January and February of this year compared to the same period in 2011.
How well is doing with its new made-in-America ? What if we told you that sales in February were up 14,523.2 percent? Okay, perhaps that isn’t the best measure of performance, given that there wasn’t actually a 2011 model year Passat. But VW moved 8,189 of the midsize sedans last month after selling 6,318 in January.
While that’s but a fraction of the 34,543 February sales for the , it’s enough that VW is adding another 800 jobs at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant that builds the car. That’s the second ramp-up this year – VW already announced last month.
“Quite plainly, we need more Passats to meet the market demand and I’m glad that we can respond so quickly by adding staff in Chattanooga,” said VW’s U.S. President and CEO, Jonathan Browning.
VW currently employs over 2,700 people at the plant, though 500 actually work for a “staffing partner.” VW says the new jobs will be filled both by those contract employees already working at the plant and by new hires. Positions include production, supervisors, quality engineers, and other professionals roles. Click to read the full press release.
hiring 800 workers in Chattanooga to meet Passat demand
Earlier today, we showed you a brace of images starring that will make its debut at the next month. But upon closer inspection, the folks at CarScoop found something very interesting hiding in the back of one of the GLK photos: the revised .
It’s unclear exactly which G-Class model this is, though our best guess is that it’s the standard G550. (Those wheels look much too tame for an AMG model.) The G-Wagen’s overall design hasn’t changed (that’s fine, we like it just the way it is), but updates for the 2013 model year include LED running lamps under the headlights and redesigned mirrors.
Word on the street is that the G-Class will feature a reworked interior for 2013, including a new instrument panel, steering wheel and consoles. The big news, however, is that the G55 AMG found in the other AMG models, though it’s unclear if its nomenclature will be altered. You know, because G63 AMG absolutely makes sense.
Mum’s the word on when the official G-Class details will be released, but since the car appears to be finished and already posing for photos, we don’t expect Mercedes-Benz to hold off for too much longer.
has a big anniversary to celebrate at this year’s New York Auto Show. The company is marking its 25th year in the States, and it’s busting out a few historical models for display at the show for the occasion. Those include a 1987 , a 1993 Land Rover 110, a 1995 Range Rover Classic and a 1994 Camel Trophy Discovery, among others. These bruisers won’t just be parked under the expo center lights, either. Land Rover has set up a special off-road course on site to demonstrate the vehicles’ capabilities.
Though the brand debuted in 1948, Land Rover didn’t officially make its way across the Atlantic until 1987. Since then, Americans have bought over 575,000 of the upwardly mobile sport utilities. Land Rover is largely credited with inciting the luxury SUV craze with its plush Range Rover line. When the leather-trimmed four-wheel drives arrived in the U.S. in ‘87, their $30,850 MSRP put it head and shoulders above the competition… at least in terms of cost. for the full press release, but before you do, check out our gallery of vintage Land Rover awesome.
It’s funny how a couple of letters can change the meaning of a word entirely. Take “racy” and “racing,” for example. One implies a certain charge of sexuality, while the other refers to the competition of getting from Point A to Point B the quickest. Pamela Anderson, for example, would be one we’d categorize under the former, but now the Canadian model/actress/bombshell is breaking into the latter by launching her own racing team.
Downforce1 by Pamela Anderson is the name of the new team that will be fielding an in both the (European) Le Mans Series and the International GT Open, wearing white and blue livery with the glamour model’s signature and bearing the logos of PETA (the animal rights group for which Anderson is a spokesperson) and ICM (the talent agency that manages her career). The team is apparently being managed by a Swiss outfit with ten years of experience in GT racing.
This is not the first time we’ve seen a model lending her image to a racing team: Paris Hilton was to a MotoGP squad a couple of years back, and now Pam appears to be following in her high-heeled footsteps. And apparently she’s not stopping at GT racing, either, as the effort could spawn a NASCAR team as well. In the meantime, Anderson hopes to be present at as many of the races as her schedule will allow. Which ought to be plenty distracting for the racers.
So what is it about models like Pam headlining racing teams? Beyond – the airbags have, after all, been removed – maybe the former Baywatch starlet herself put it best in a with British tabloid The Sun: “Fast cars and fast women go together.” Who are we to argue?
The slow drip of official information for Nissan’s continues to spread across the internet. Today, the Japanese automaker has unveiled a (very) short video clip and a shady single image that hints at the expressive profile sheetmetal on its new family sedan. The video is very brief, but together with the other images we’ve seen depicting the new boomerang-shaped taillamps, headlamps and overhead view, we’re starting to mentally stitch together a composite view of the new car.
We couldn’t resist helping Nissan accelerate its reveal process by tinkering with Photoshop’s brightness and contrast controls a bit. You can which reveals a nicely rounded three-window greenhouse and a set of split five-spoke alloys. In addition, check out the short video while you’re waiting for live shots and impressions to drop from New York.
Spring means lots of things to lots of people, but for owners, this time of year points to just one main event on the calendar: Easter Jeep Safari. This year, Jeep and Mopar have put their heads together to create another group of awesome concepts. All told, the automaker will roll out six new vehicles in the desert, including the , Jeep J-12 and Jeep Mighty FC concepts – the last of which is pictured above. We can’t say much about what the Apache will bring to the table, but the J-12 looks to pay homage to the old Kaiser Jeep M715.
Another year, another Jeep pickup truck that’ll likely never make it to production. Sigh.
Still, the truck should be as cool as can be. Speaking of awesome, the Mighty FC teaser hints to the resurrection of the long deceased Forward Control. Our hearts ache from how killer this is. All six concepts will be unveiled in Moab on March 31. for the brief press release.
If there’s one thing nerds love more than obscure factoids, it’s the thrill of a good argument. MSN has set out to settle one of comic bookdom’s quintessential questions by attempting to discern whether the 1989 Batmobile is quicker than its 1966 predecessor. While we’d love nothing better to see the atomic-powered sire do battle with its jet-powered offspring, we’ll just have to make due with a couple of replicas. In this case, the ‘89 gets its power from a carbureted small block with an aluminum intake manifold and not much else.
Meanwhile, the 1966 uses a for its underpinnings, complete with a fuel-injected small block of its own. The ‘66 boasts an estimated 300-325 horsepower while the ‘89 serves up a more modest 285 ponies. Bets are made, flags are dropped an one vehicle stands above the other. We won’t spoil it for you.
We will say there seems to be some on-screen trickery afoot, however. Watch closely, and it’s clear the ‘89 holds onto left lane at the beginning of the race, only to swap places in the slow-motion replay. Something tells us this game was rigged from the start. to see the full episode for yourself, but be warned. Fair warning: the finale sequence may be Not Safe For Work for some of you. Maybe there’s something else nerds love more than arguing and flexing their trivia muscle.
When the doors open at Manhattahn’s Javitz Center for the in less than two weeks, will have a refreshed version of its on display. But you needn’t wait that long, as parent company Daimler has just released the full spectrum of details and photos of its updated entry-level crossover.
Decidedly evolutionary in its refresh, the 2013 GLK is characterized largely by the same sharp lines as the model it replaces, but now, the creases and sculpting is slightly more rounded and more dynamic in appearance. While the exterior has had its sharp edges smoothed out, the interior has likewise been updated, with those -derived retro air vents dominating the restyled dashboard and the gearshift lever moving to a stalk on the steering column in similar fashion to other recent Three-Pointed Star vehicles.
The biggest news, however, comes under the hood. While the existing GLK was only offered with a single engine, the new model will be available in two specs: the GLK350 with direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 now good for 302 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque (up from 268hp and 258 lb-ft), or the GLK250 BlueTEC diesel that, at 190 hp and 369 lb-ft, offers less power but far more twist from its 2.1 liters and four cylinders. While the updated GLK350 will be available starting in the summer, American buyers intent on the diesel will have to wait until early next year. Both are mated to a seven-speed automatic with stop-start ignition, and can be had in either rear-drive or 4Matic all-wheel drive.
There’s plenty more to delve into in the press release after the jump, and a whole mess of high-resolution photos in the gallery, so check ‘em out and watch this space for live coverage from the vehicle’s unveiling in New York.
GLK gets facelift, diesel option ahead of New York
has let it slip that the company may be working on a new crossover, and Autocar has gone through the trouble of rendering the machine. According to the report, the company is under pressure to expand into niches traditionally outside of its scope, much as sister company has done with the . That may translate into a new high-riding hatchback based off of an upcoming compact sedan. That’s right. Autocar claims Jaguar is out to launch six other “significant” new products over the next two years, and that’s excluding the “radical crossover” seen here.
Needless to say, the project hasn’t gotten the go-ahead from corporate just yet, but if it does, expect to see it built on the company’s new modular aluminum “Premium Lightweight Architecture” originally penned for its large vehicles. Jaguar could also borrow the bones of the previously mentioned Evoque for this little science experiment. Those two options present a disparate view of the would-be utility Jaguar. Of course, the model is a very, very long way from becoming reality. Head over to to see the full rendering.
Station wagons, as pointed out by ex-Autoblogger Jonny Lieberman, are boring. “It’s the penalty you pay for falling in love and having children,” he says.
Sure, just so long as your children like to go fast, at least when the chosen conveyance to move those booster seats from Point A to Point B is either the wagon version of the or , as tested by Motor Trend in the video you’ll see after the break.
Without spoiling any of the salient details, we’ll say that one car was a wee bit quicker, crossing the finish line a scant 79 feet ahead of its rival after a half-mile of acceleration to speeds surpassing 150 miles per hour, while the other was deemed the overall better car for enthusiast drivers.
Which was which? See the video for all the answers you crave, along with some brilliant exhaust notes from these two rare wagon-shaped beasts.
Our spy photographers have nabbed the first glimpse at the upcoming Audi Q6 – a crossover that’s being designed to give the something to torment on the playground. These shots show that the Q6 will ride on an altered version of same platform underpinning the current , but from the look of things, the Q6 is a good bit longer and wider than its donor with a little extra ride height to boot. Of course, this is simply a test mule undergoing development, so don’t count on the thoroughly awkward B-pillar we see in these shots making it all the way to production.
So far, the German automaker hasn’t said much about what buyers can expect to find under the hood, but we wouldn’t be shocked to see anything other than a selection of the same troop of engines currently powering the company’s stable. That means a powertrain lifted from the parts bin of the Q5 and the . A supercharged 3.0-liter V6 would provide a nice foil for the 300-horsepower X6 xDrive35i, though more thrust would be necessary to parry the X6 xDrive50i with its 400-horsepower, turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. The company’s home market will likely get one or two diesel powerplants, as well.
We saw the 2013 last fall , but today we get the real thing – in pixelated, jpeg form, that is. Indeed, this is about as close as U.S. buyers will probably get to the new Trailblazer. While we weren’t expecting General Motors to change its tune about bringing the diesel-powered, seven-seat SUV stateside, we called and asked anyway. spokesman Tom Wilkinson told us, “There are currently no plans to bring that vehicle to the U.S.”
While the good-looking TrailBlazer would certainly look right at home sitting next to the 2013 on dealer lots, Chevy already has a three-row utility vehicle in the . Buyers in Thailand, where the vehicle debuted ahead of the Bangkok International Motor Show, are more apt to need a real body-on-frame SUV like the TrailBlazer. And U.S. buyers looking for a three-row truck can still roll in a . Either way, The General has to figure it doesn’t really want another burly three-row utility vehicle sitting on its CAFE ledger.
Still, there’s much to like about the 2013 TrailBlazer, especially underhood. GM is offering two turbo-diesel four-cylinders in 2.5- and 2.8-liter displacements. The smaller engine is rated at 150 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, while the extra displacement bumps horsepower to 180 and torque to a particularly impressive 346 lb-ft. A five-speed manual and six-speed automatic will be offered. GM says the engines are designed to last for 240,000 kilometers – nearly 150,000 miles.
The TrailBlazer will hit dealers in Thailand in June, with much of the rest of the world – minus the U.S. – to follow. Don’t thing this is some stripped out truck for developing economies though, as the TrailBlazer is sporting a pretty long list of standard features, including lots of safety equipment – stability control, ABS, traction control, electronic brake-force distribution, and hill descent control – that we take for granted here.
Click to read the full press release, and be sure to check out our .
While China is still the big dog when it comes to growth markets for automakers, Iraq looks to be heating up. As the country slowly stabilizes, the country’s 30 million citizens find themselves with a growing income and a need for more reliable transportation.
But, according to , the biggest factor in the resurgence of Iraqi car-buying is a decrease in violence by insurgents. Last year only (?!) about 1,500 Iraqis were killed by roadside bombs, snipers or other violence. That’s compared to more than 34,000 in 2006. As you might imagine, safer streets lead to much greater satisfaction derived from Sunday drives.
Ready to cash in on the auto-buying-boom are , and . All three see huge potential in a country still driving thousands of procured via an oil trade with Brazil in the 1980s.
Apparently, one popular car in Iraq is the – nicknamed “Obama” by Iraqis. Then again, the last year that the was known as “the Obama,” so maybe the term goes for any large American sedan.
Episode #274 of the is here, and this week, Chris, Zach, Dan, and Autoblog Executive Editor Chris Paukert cover our recent drive of the (as well as some other Ford products), the , the outselling the and combined yearly total in three days, and the forthcoming . Your questions and comments power the end of the ‘cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our , thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #274:
In the Autoblog Garage
Hosts: , , ,
Runtime: 01:21:01
Get the podcast
[] Listen live on Mondays at 10PM Eastern at UStream
[] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[] Download the MP3 directly
A local television news report on a so-called “death wobble” has led two members of the House of Representatives to write a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requesting more information about the situation, which they describe as a “serious safety issue.” The three-page letter does not demand an investigation or recall, but asks the agency numerous questions regarding the problem and what is known about it. The original report aired on KGO-TV in San Francisco in February.
The two members of Congress describe the problem as “a powerful shaking of the steering wheel and front wheels after a driver hits road bumps at speed,” affecting 2005-2010 model year . The news report says NHTSA has received over 600 complaints about wobbling and vibrating in Jeep vehicles since 1995, “mostly Wranglers.” Indeed, YouTube is rife with videos of shaking Wranglers, some of which we’ve gathered .
issued the following statement regarding the accusations:
Chrysler Group vehicles meet or exceed every applicable government safety standard and have excellent safety records. All manufacturer vehicles equipped with a solid axle are susceptible to vibration and, if experienced, it can be corrected by performing minor maintenance items, such as properly balancing or changing the tires, or a front end alignment, installing a new steering dampener, or by tightening or replacing other loose or worn parts. In fact, most reported incidents – in all manufacturer vehicles equipped with or without a solid axle – are often linked to poorly installed or maintained after-market equipment, such as lift kits, oversized tires, etc. This is not a safety issue, and there are no injuries involving Chrysler Group vehicles related to this allegation. Indeed, the name you’ve given to this condition has no basis in fact.
While we’re not so sure blaming the customer for improper maintenance is the right response, we will say that Wranglers and their antecedents are unique beasts, what with their solid axles and high centers of gravity. This is why they’re so wonderful off road, and why those that choose to use them as daily drivers shouldn’t expect them to behave exactly like every other vehicle they encounter on their commute. And of course if there is, indeed, a “serious safety issue” with the Wrangler, we would expect Chrysler to address it.
Click to read the full letter, watch the most recent news report, and see videos of Jeeps exhibiting the symptoms.
When we last asked representatives about the production capacity of the , we were told the company’s Iwate, Japan plant could make up to 30,000 units each month. That sounds like a lot, but Toyota is currently sending just 20 percent – 6,000 a month – to the United States.
Back in December, when the car went on sale in Japan, the company received . As we , Toyota also sold 1,200 Prius C units in the first three days it was on sale in the States. The baby may not be as popular here as it is at home, but 6,000 a month sure doesn’t seem like it’s enough.
The C is made at just one plant, run by Toyota’s Kanto Auto Works Ltd. affiliate in northern Japan. A strong yen and all those Japanese orders means that the C models that do get made are mostly delivered to the home country instead of be placed on a boat to be exported. Toyota originally planned to produce just 20,000 C models a month, and is now looking at how to go over even the 30,000-unit level.
By increasing efficiencies at the plant and moving production of non-Prius C models (specifically, the not-available-in-the-U.S. Toyota Ractis) from Iwate to other plants, the unspecified increase should be in place by the middle of 2012. Thus far, there is no official talk about making the C at other plants.
If you’re an Autoblog reader, we suspect you probably prefer not to leave the driving to others – regardless of who they are. But even car nuts like us have occasion to take the bus every so often. can be a cost-efficient way to go pick up a car you’ve spontaneously bought on eBay when no buddies can be rounded up for a road trip, for instance.
